Abstract
Crack initiation and progression have been studied in nanoscale brittle/ductile multilayers of Cu and Si. Variations in the interface debond energy on the cracking behavior have been examined by using thin interlayers comprising either Cr (strong interface) or Au (weak interface). For strongly bonded Cr interfaces, it has been found that cracks forming in the Si invariably extend through the Cu layers, despite the ductile rupture characteristics of the Cu. This behavior occurs even when the Cu layers comprise more than 70% of the multilayer volume. It also contrasts with the crack arrest capabilities exhibited by relatively thick ductile layers (∼10-100 μm). The disparity in behavior is attributed to the relatively large cracking strain required for the thin brittle layers. Weak Au interfaces result in debonding which, in turn, can suppress the propagation of cracks into adjacent layers. However, when the interface includes strongly bonded sections, the debond arrests, and often kinks into the attached Si. In this case, cracking still progresses sequentially through the Si layers. Careful control of the interface debond energy is needed to fully suppress crack progression in nanoscale multilayers.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Microelectronics Packaging Handbook, edited by R. R. Tummala and E.J. Rymaszewski (Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1989).
D. R. Barbour, in Advances in Ceramics, Vol. 19, Multilayer Ceramic Devices, edited by J. B. Blum and W. R. Cannon (The American Ceramics Society, Westerville, OH, 1986).
S. W. Freiman and A. C. Gonzalez, in Advances in Ceramics, Vol. 19, Mulitlayer Ceramic Devices, edited by J. B. Blum and W. R. Cannon (The American Ceramics Society, Westerville, OH, 1986).
W.D. Nix, Metall. Trans. A 20A (II), 2217-2245 (1989).
J.W. Hutchinson and Z. Suo, Adv. Appl. Mech. 29, 63-191 (1992).
T. Ye, Z. Suo, and A. G. Evans, Int. J. Solids Struct. 29 (21), 2639-2648 (1992).
M. S. Hu and A. G. Evans, Acta Metall. 37 (3), 917-925 (1989).
M.S. Hu, M.D. Thouless, and A.G. Evans, Acta Metall. 36 (5), 1301–1307 (1988).
M.C. Shaw, D.B. Marshall, M.S. Dadkhah, and A.G. Evans, Acta Metall. Mater. 41 (11), 3311-3322 (1993).
M.Y. He, F.E. Heredia, D.J. Wissuchek, M.C. Shaw and A.G. Evans, Acta Metall. Mater. 41 (4), 1223-1228 (1993).
H.C. Cao and A.G. Evans, Acta Metall. Mater. 39 (12), 2997-3005 (1991).
K. S. Chan, M. Y. He, and J. W. Hutchinson, Mater. Sci. Eng. A 167 (1-2), 57-64 (1993).
S. Ho and Z. Suo, J. Appl. Mech. 60 (4), 890-894 (1993).
D. K. Leung, M. Y. He, and A. G. Evans, J. Mater. Res. 10, 1693 (1995).
M. F. Ashby and D. R. H. Jones, Engineering Materials (Perga-mon Press, London, 1980), p. 31.
Metals Handbook, edited by H. E. Boyer and T. L. Gall (American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH, 1985).
D. C. Boyd and D. A. Thompson, from Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 3rd ed. (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1980), Vol. 11, pp. 807-880.
J.L. Beuth, Jr., Int. J. Solids Struc. 29 (13), 1657-1675 (1992).
M. A. Maden and R. J. Farris, Exp. Mech. 31 (2), 178-184 (1991).
S. K. Ghandhi, VLSI Fabrication Principles (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1983).
P.S. Ho and F. Faupel, Appl. Phys. Lett. 53 (17), 1602-1604 (1988).
M.E. Thomas, M.P. Hartnett, and J.E. McKay, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 6 (4), 2570-2571 (1988).
M.D. Marz and S.D. Dahlgren, J. Appl. Phys. 46 (8), 3235-3237 (1975).
N. A. Fleck, G. M. Muller, M. F. Ashby, and J. W. Hutchinson, Acta Metall. Mater. 42, 475-487 (1994).
L. S. Sigl, P.A. Mataga, B.J. Dalgleish, R.M. McMeeking, and A.G. Evans, Acta Metall. 36, 945 (1988).
A. Bagchi, G.E. Lucas, Z. Suo, and A.G. Evans, J. Mater. Res. 9, 1734-1741 (1994).
A. Bagchi, Ph.D. Dissertation, UCSB, May 1994; A. Bagchi and A. G. Evans, Thin Solid Films (in press).
M-Y. He, A. Bartlett, A.G. Evans, and J.W. Hutchinson, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 74, (4), 767-771 (1991).
M-Y. He and J.W. Hutchinson, Int. J. Solids Struc. 25 (9), 1053-1067 (1989).
W.A. Curtin, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 74, 2837 (1991).
Y.H. Chiao and D.R. Clarke, Acta Metall. 37, 203 (1989).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leung, D.K., Zhang, N.T., McMeeking, R.M. et al. Crack progression and interface debonding in brittle/ductile nanoscale multilayers. Journal of Materials Research 10, 1958–1968 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1995.1958
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.1995.1958